Table Tennis Bats

Table Tennis Racquets For Sports-Fitness

Table tennis, or also unofficially (and lovingly) called Ping-Pong, is a game involving two (singles) or four (doubles) players that hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a hard table divided by a net, using a small bat. The game is extremely popular and requires no formal introduction and even beginners know that the most integral equipment used in this sport is the table tennis racquets.

It goes by many names across the world-Paddle, Bat, Racquet. But the official term as per the governing body is table tennis racquet. Unlike the conventional racquet, it does not consist of an open frame covered with strings, but it is made up of laminated wood called the “blade” and is affixed with rubber on one or two sides by a water based glue. This is attached to a “handle”. This complete structure is called a racquet.

Raised dots facing outward covers the entire rubber coating. Or, it may have a sponge layer, covered with the rubber that has the dots inwards. The table tennis racquet is seen with two different colors on either side-one being black, the other being red. Its purpose is not just to increase the aesthetic value, but it is also a requirement by regulation! Wondering why?

The reason is that one side may have a spin-heavy rubber, the other side coating may have no spin at all! The player can thus flip the racquet during play, for different returns. To help the opponent better realize the shot played, the rule of two colors was implemented.

The Table Tennis Racquet Blades

A beginner to any sport can be extremely clueless and thus must first understand a few basics. Before buying a table tennis racquet, one must know about the different kind of blades available. The following are 4 different types of blades:

a.) Balsa Blade – Soft and light. At slow impact gives good control. At high impact rebound is fast. Not suitable for looping.

b.) 1 Ply Hinoki blade – Used by many for Penholder style of grip. The blade feels soft but is very thick and very powerful when hitting. Good for hitting and can block too. Preferred in Korea and Japan because of their aggressive style.

c.) All wood blade – Very good to loop the ball in mid distance. Has some flex, larger dimension and is also very consistent. Preferred by the Chinese.

d.) Carbon blade – Fastest blade with a hard surface. Very good for hitter and looper style of shots, but not to be used by beginners.

Buy The Best Table Tennis Racquets Online

Always remember that the rubber on the racquet is subject to deterioration. When buying a racquet from a sports store, you will not know for how long the racquet has been kept in the plastic casing. Thus, the quality of the rubber may have deteriorated over time. Table tennis racquets online are assured of better quality as the online portals replenish their stock much more frequently. In addition to that, the racquets have been assigned categories (as per the preferred playing style) that make it easier to choose from. The categories are:

1. All-round

2. Offensive

3. Defensive

Table tennis racquets found online also have various top brands like GKI, Butterfly, Stag, Stiga, Donic and Nopeus, to name a few. These brands not only provide table tennis racquets for beginners but also have racquets with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) authorized rubber coatings that are used for ITTF authorized events.

So go online, grab a table tennis racquet and master the game!